"In September what we're looking at is the birds that have hatched over the summer, plus their parents, so the most birds ever are flying around in September," said Christine Sheppard, a bird collision expert with the American Bird Conservancy.

Birds are also most active in the morning, and LaGuardia's location nestled near the marshlands raises the potential for collisions, Sheppard said.

"These are all animals that are using the habitat and trying to coexist with planes, and sometimes they're looking at the wrong place at the wrong time," she said.

Across the country, collisions between planes and wildlife are climbing. In 1990, there were 1,851 reported strikes. In 2013, there were 11,315 strikes. Nearly all the collisions involved birds.

"It's like getting hit by a meteorite -- you can't worry about it," said Pete Hunsinger of Connecticut.

"We're never going to eliminate the collisions between airplanes and birds, it's just not possible," said Sheppard. "But we can definitely try to reduce it and minimize the impact on both people and wildlife."

In 2009, a US Airways flight had just taken off from LaGuardia airport when a flock of geese disabled the engines. Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger III safely glided into a water landing in the Hudson River.